To Meet Again
by Haleylovesyou39
Summary: The Titans meet a strange girl while battling Dr. Light. Who is she? And what is her connection to the Boy Wonder? Written with Ariana Jones. Implied Rob/Star.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

As the dark of night filled the camp, a new sense of terror loomed over its many inhabitants. For most of the prisoners, the dark meant hours tossing and turning, trying to fight off the nightmares that resided in their dreams. For others it served as a reminder of a new day approaching, meaning another day where you had to endure countless hours of experimentation.

For me, the dark meant hope, a place to escape the nightmare I live in. Tonight was different; I felt fear gripping at my chest . I was going to try to escape from this hell- hole. I had tried in the past only to be caught and taken back for punishment. Each time they caught me, it only got worse. I shuddered at the memories of those dark days.

The watchman passed in front of the door. Here was my chance. I quietly unlocked the metal door and stepped out into the cool night breeze. I began to walk to the hole in the fence when I heard footsteps behind me. I froze with fear, then quickly snapped out of it. Fear was the enemy; I couldn't let it control me. I was able to run behind a bush just before the person appeared. My breathing was short and panicked. I tried to calm myself down by slowly twisting the golden locket around my neck. Feeling the smooth, worn down surface calmed me, and I let out a deep breath.

I cautiously raised my head to find the coast all clear. I emerged from my spot and traveled on ward. By the time I was able to see the gate I felt a feeling of happiness shoot through my body. I had never made it this far before. As I stepped out of the shadows, I felt a cold, hard hand land on my shoulder.

"Second time this month 6263. I truly thought you would have learned your lesson by now. There is no escape from here. "

"let go of me!" I snarled while hitting his hand off my shoulder.

" Ohhh well that's no way to treat your creator. Tsk, tsk. Guards take her back to the main building, we have some more testing to do."

My eyes grew wide with fear, and my voice came out as a strangled sob, "no, not that place again! PLEASE anywhere but there" I screamed.

"it is too late, take her away"

I felt two hand grasp my arms roughly, and they began to pull me forward. My bare feet scraped against the ground, causing pain to shoot up my legs. I clawed and struggled against their iron grip only to have them hold on tighter. As they dragged me off into the dark clutches of the building, I let out a scream, only to have the wind carry it away.


	2. Normal

Robin's POV:

I stared out the window of Titan's Tower, taking in the skyline of Jump City. The serenity of the city this morning was almost scary. There was rarely a day when Jump City wasn't being attacked by Plasma, Overload, Cinderblock, or even worse, Slade.

Behind me, Cyborg and Beast Boy shouted at each other back and forth, bumping shoulders as they raced each other in the latest video game they had purchased.

"Don't you dare try to get around

me, Grass Stain! I'm going to win, and you'll just have to accept that."

"Says the robot who's car just exploded!" Beast Boy remarked, and Cyborg turned his attention back to the screen, gawking.

I laughed quietly, and shifted positions so that my shoulder was leaning agains the cool glass window, and my legs and arms were crossed. I was trying to tune the rest of the world out. But having a moment of silence was almost impossible in Titan's Tower. Especially when Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing video games.

"Could you two be quiet? I'm trying to read." Demanded an angry Raven. She glared at Beast Boy and Cyborg through her hood, sending chills down both Titans' spines.

Nonetheless, Beast Boy protested, "awe, c'mon Rae!" It was a pitiful protest, and Raven silenced him with an even darker glare.

"Oh, it is a glorious day, is it not!" Starfire shouted, walking into the room. I took a moment to flash her a warm smile, taking in the joyous look she had on her face. She truly was stunning. And I wasn't just saying that because she and I were together. It was the truth, and everyone could see it.

"Morning, Star." I said, kissing her cheek as she came to stand beside me at the window.

"You are scanning for trouble?"

"Yeah. The city's quiet today. Too quiet."

Starfire sighed knowingly, placing a hand on my cheek, "must something always happen, Robin. Perhaps today will be a normal-"

Starfire was cut off as the alarms went off, and Beast Boy threw his controller down in anger.

"Duuuude, I was actually winning."

I laughed and headed for the door, grabbing Starfire's arm.

"Star, you should know by now, nothing involving us can ever be normal."


	3. Escape

6263 POV:

The trees rushed by as I ran barefoot through the forest. I began to feel fatigue pull at my muscles the more I ran. I needed to stop, but if I did it would endanger my newly gained freedom, and that was a chance I was not willing to take. I lessened my pace slightly, in an futile attempt to conserve energy. I took in my surroundings and noticed the trees beginning to thin. I began to get nervous, for this was a sign of approaching humanity.

I had never encountered a 'normal' being in my life. What if they cast me out as a reject, or worse, sent me back to that living hell? I gulped. What was I to do? Maybe if I could just clear my head, I could think of a logical plan. I looked to my left and noticed a run down, abandoned building. Maybe I could afford just one break. I mean I had been running for quite some time now, and I lost sight of any pursuit after the first hour or so.

I opened the door carefully, only to cringe at the obnoxious noise it made. I slid down the wall and let out a large breath. Much to my annoyance, my actions had stirred up a large dust cloud, and I sucked in a large breath of it. I stood up, coughing and trying to shake the dust off my clothes. So much for me being quiet.

Once I had finished coughing I stood up and began to walk around. I softly padded through the room absorbing the details. The walls were bare, and the building was massive. I could picture chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and paintings like the Mona Lisa framed on the walls.

CRASH.

I froze with fear. Was it them? Had they finally found me? I stood frozen in my spot, unsure of whether to run or hide. I chose the latter option, figuring I would have a better chance. I wildly looked around for any place to conceal myself. My gaze came to lay across a stack of old boxes piled high by the wall. I quickly ran over to them and began to cover myself. Just as I finished, I heard a heavy pair of footsteps walk towards me. I subconsciously began to twirl the golden pendant hanging around my neck. The next thing I knew I was being held up by the back of my shirt.

"well look what i found here, a person to watch me take over the city" said a scraggly voice. His rancid breath blew in my face, causing me to cough. I gulped, then cautiously opened my eyes.

Before me was a tallish man in his late 30's or so. He had on a strange outfit, complete with a head piece. I stared at him, wondering if this was how all people dressed. Considering the fact that I was wearing a faded gray shirt and black cargo pants that had been ripped and torn, I guess I had no room to judge. My captor gave me a quizzical look before he roughly threw me on the ground and tied my hands to a pipe.

"now my dear, let the chaos begin" he said, while flipping a switch. The generator next to him came life, shooting off sparks of electricity here and there. I cringed and tried to scoot further away, not wanting to be hit by a stray spark.

Above the us, the roof of the building cracked, sending debris and dust everywhere. Once it had finally settled down my gaze came to rest on five figures, standing above us in fighting stances.


	4. Zanda

Robin's POV:

I watched Starfire pull a shaking girl out of the collapsed building, and began walking over to help her. I hooked the girl's arm over my shoulder, helping to hold up her small body.

"I can stand on my own." the nameless girl said, turning to face me. Her familiar blue eyes startled me, and I couldn't turn my thoughts into words. Finally, I choked them out.

"A building just collapsed around you." I insisted, gripping her waist. She was unbelievably tiny, as if she hadn't eaten in weeks. I allowed my eyes to roam over her ragged clothes, sucking in a deep breath when I saw the large gash on her waist.

"You're hurt."

"I'll be fine. It'll heal." She said monotonously.

"A wound like that? I doubt it. We have an infirmary in our Tower." I said. The girl shrugged away from Starfire and I, while straightening her shirt out. She gave me a stubborn look, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Look, I really appreciate it, but I've been taking care of myself my whole life. I'll be fine."

"Well at least come back to the Tower and eat something."

"Yeahhh, the Titans always pig out after defeating a bad guy. And if you stick around, you can watch me beat Grass Stain over here at video games," Cyborg said, having overheard the tail-end of our conversation. He brushed his hands off and turned towards me, Raven and Beast Boy following closely behind, "the police took care of Dr. Light."

I nodded towards Cyborg, then turned my attention back to the girl in front of me. My eyes drifted to her side, and I gasped, noticing that her cut was becoming smaller and not so bloody.

"I can heal myself." She said, noticing my eyes. I nodded, and went to speak, but was cut off by Starfire's hand on my shoulder.

"Please, what is your name."

The girl hesitated, "Zanda." She said finally, as if deciding on a name right that moment.

"Zanda, I am Starfire. Surely you could come back to the Tower and enjoy some food... Or take the shower of cleanliness. We could even provide you with some new clothes."

"Thank you, but-"

"Please," Starfire said, reaching out and grabbing the girl's arm, "I know what it is like to be alone. To feel like you need to take care of yourself. All we ask is that you come and at least eat something."

The girl watched Starfire carefully, then hung her head. Her black hair fell forward, and I felt something in my body churn at the familiarity of the action.

"Fine. I'll come with you guys and eat something." She said finally, but her words barely registered in my mind.

"Awww, yeah! Be prepared, Grass Stain. We've got a witness to see me crush you this time." Cyborg and Beast Boy grabbed Zanda's arms, pulling her with them towards the Tower. Raven trailed behind them, glaring at the fighting boys. Starfire and I hung back, walking slowly.

"Robin, what is wrong?" She asked finally, after several moments of comfortable silence.

I sighed, "Nothing... I just, I know Zanda from somewhere."

"Where?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out."


	5. Food

"So how far exactly is this place?" I asked again.

"It's just over this hill," replied the robot man- Cyborg, I recalled - I sighed and continued to walk. My feet were sore and all I wanted to do was sleep. Sure, I was glad to have been found by these nice people, I mean they reminded me of my friends back at the "place that shall not be named". But still, I couldn't stay with them. What if they found out I was a freak? A mutt so genetically mutated that she can't even control her powers. Someone who has been raised in captivity her whole life. Someone…..

"Hellooo, earth to the new girl, are you there?" said the green boy - Beast Boy - while waving his hand in front of my face. I flinched and stumbled backwards, catching my balance quickly.

"What, oh yes, sorry I was thinking," I replied with a sheepish smile, "so what were you saying?"

"It's the moment you have been waiting for!" Cyborg shouted, wrapping a heavy arm around my bony shoulders.

"the one, the only," Beast Boy jumped in.

"TITANS TOWER!" they said together. The stood back revealing a beautiful structure in the shape of a giant "T." I gasped, feeling like a little girl receiving Christmas presents. Or at least, what I imagined a girl receiving presents would look like. I wouldn't know.

"It's gorgeous! I mean sure the buildings at camp, I-I mean home, were nice. But this, this is amazing!"

"Yup," said a proud Cyborg, "we built her by ourselves"

"Wow, how did you guys deal with the weight distribution problem? Sure you can build the outline first then add as you go. But the all glass tower must have been a pain in the butt to make, plus it would be SOO heavy! I mean you can re-enforce the glass with a stronger alloy to make it stronger and lighter, but that would take FOREVER to come up with the correct equation to make it happen." I turned around to see five mouths hanging open.

"I umm mean- wow that's awesome!" I said sheepishly while scratching the back of my head. I stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, until Beast Boy broke the silence.

"Wow, how did you know all that geeky stuff?"

"umm- let's just say I had a lot of time on my hands." We walked the rest of the way to the tower in a comfortable silence. Everybody entered the main room and sat down at a counter by the kitchen. I stood in the doorway unsure of what to do.

"well what are you waiting for?" asked the tin man, "come eat."

I cautiously sat down waiting for the meal to be served. For some time I let my eyes wonder around the room absorbing the details, making sure I had memorized it; then looked back at the counter.

Before me sat some sort of food I had never seen before. It was meat with bread on the outside. I questioningly poked it, and then sniffed it. Figuring it was safe to eat I took a bite. It was delicious!

It had more flavor than anything I had ever tasted. Before I knew it I had eaten the whole thing. I greedily reached for more when I noticed that the others had not yet touched their food. I sighed then sat back knowing what I had done was wrong. You must always wait for the leader to eat their food before you may touch yours.

I sadly stood up, grabbed a knife off the counter, and began to walk out of the room.

"hey, where are you going?" called the masked boy. I looked him in the eyes with a sad look.

" I must punish myself for my wrong doing, or else the master will become upset." With that I strode out of the room.


	6. Comfort

Starfire's POV:

"Wait, she's what?" Robin asked, glancing over at me quizzically. I shook my head and stood up, feeling my stomach churn. The others stood up to follow me, but I shook my persistently, and turned around, rushing after Zanda.

I caught her at the door to the bathroom, wiping off one of her sweaty palms. Her other was still clutching the kitchen knife, and I grabbed her arm.

"Please, what are you doing with the knife."

"I told you, I have to punish myself for doing something wrong."

"But you have done nothing wrong!" I insisted, grabbing the hand that held the knife. She yanked it away from me, turning back towards the door.

"Yes, I did."

"No, Zanda, you did not. Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding. And even if you did do something wrong, I am sure we could help you."

"Help me?" she asked, an unbelieving tone in her voice. I crossed my arms over my chest uncomfortably.

"I was once a prisoner, too."

"What are you talking about? I've never been a prisoner. I told you guys, I ran away from my house because of some family issues. After a few days, I'll go back."

"That excuse may have worked for my teammates, but I am not as easily fooled. I will not tell them. You can trust me."

"No offense, but I don't trust anyone."

"Neither did I when I came here. But then the Titans gave me a home. They gave me friends."

"That doesn't mean that I should trust you."

"You sound like Robin."

"Huh?"

"Robin. He is much like you. He keeps secrets from people in order to protect himself, and he is quite stubborn."

"I'm not stubborn." Zanda persisted, and I arched my eyebrow at her.

"Very well. But please, if you will not talk, maybe you could listen."

"Okay," Zanda said, finally surrendering. I smiled at her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards my room.


End file.
